CHOICE Awards 2012

Suncorp has been a strong performer year-on-year in our regular reviews, and it’s a provider we singled out as an exception to our 2011 Shonky for the industry. We based this award on what we think good insurance products should deliver – especially in light of recent developments. 

For those in harm’s way in 2011 and more recently, Suncorp’s Classic and Platinum home and contents policies offered the kind of protection that could mean the difference between recovery and financial catastrophe. 

For home and contents insurance, we looked for the availability of substantial extra cover above sum insured, unlimited accidental damage cover and a high limit for valuables, as well as including flood cover without limitations, exclusions or a special excess. 

For car insurance, the benchmarks included total replacement for up to two years after purchase, a workable hire car offer, and, most importantly, a solid policy score in our recent market-wide car insurance survey. 

Among our finalists, only Suncorp’s Comprehensive policies ticked all these boxes. We went back to the satisfaction survey to make the final call. Nine out of 10 Suncorp car insurance customers rated the company’s claims handling as very good or excellent. 

Andy Kollmorgen, CHOICE investigative journalist

We haven’t overlooked the one undeniable advantage of prepaid over credit or debit cards – the ability to lock in exchange rates. But for this award, we concentrated strictly on which product will cost you the least if you use it correctly. 

Locking in the best exchange rate can save you money, but only if you accurately predict the rate changes. Card fees, on the other hand, are a certainty, so the fee-free 28 Degrees MasterCard came out on top. 

We also picked a runner-up from the prepaid products, since some consumers won’t want to apply for a credit card or open a new bank account just for one overseas trip. Commonwealth Bank’s prepaid Travel Money card was our runner-up because it meets our money-saving benchmarks: no initial loading, inactivity or closure fees, and the lowest fee for using currencies not loaded on your card of the cards we reviewed. 

Andy Kollmorgen, CHOICE investigative journalist

Our test results account for a range of expectations that members have when buying a fridge, including maintaining steady temperatures, keeping those even throughout compartments, offering a good range of temperature options and having optimum temperatures on their recommended or factory setting.

You also expect fridges to stay cool in summer and winter, be inexpensive to run and quiet. Many Fisher & Paykel models tick all these boxes and so deserve the bouquet. 

Matthew Steen, Team Lead White Goods

We looked at those brands of which we’d tested several models to find those that consistently perform well. We compared their average overall scores and how often we have recommended models from each brand. 

We also looked for those brands that not only perform well when new, but continue to perform well year after year in the home. 

Electrolux, Bosch and Dyson all deserve a tip of the hat here, but Miele really stood out. 

Of the 12 Miele vacuum cleaners we’ve tested in the past three years, we’ve recommended 10 to buy. The brand also tops our reliability survey, making Miele a very worthy winner. 

Chris Barnes, Team Leader - Household

The Breville Fast Slow Cooker is a one-pot wonder – it’s four appliances in one. You can sear your meat and vegetables in it ready for a long slow cook and have a meal ready when you get home. 

Or, you can cook comfort foods in a quarter of the usual time. It also steams vegetables and rice, and is so easy to use, with comprehensive instructions and recipes. 

This appliance is great for the busy family and costs about $200 – less than buying separate specialised products. And don’t forget, these methods of cooking suit cheaper cuts of meats as well as legumes and pulses. 

Fiona Mair, CHOICE home economist

Most schemes cover the cost of car ownership such as registration and maintenance, and often throw in a certain number of kilometres and petrol for free. Cars can be taken out for as little as one hour, so you need only pay for what you use. 

Car sharing is also a viable alternative to renting a vehicle from a hire car company, which comes with its own problems. 

Even given the monthly fees charged by car share schemes, rates are in most cases better and insurance contracts have fewer exclusions. Standard and reduced excesses also cost less. 

We feel GoGet is the best car sharer, with a wide range of vehicles, pet-friendly policy and simple insurance contract that’s similar to a regular comprehensive policy – with minimal exclusions. 

Not all car share schemes are created equal, so check any contract carefully before signing up. For recognising a gap in the market and filling it in a consumer and environmentally friendly fashion, the CHOICE Game Changer Award goes to car share schemes. 

Zoya Sheftalovich, CHOICE investigative journalist

Elected to the CHOICE Council in 2000, Ken has been awarded life membership of CHOICE for services to the consumer movement and is a member of our Policy Advisory Group. 

Ken really put himself on the line when he went up against weight loss company SensaSlim last year. When he lodged a complaint about their ads with the TGA, SensaSlim threatened to sue him unless he retracted his comments. 

He refused, so they sued. After many months of stressful legal goings-on and great personal expense (though costs were ultimately met by supporters) he won his case. The product was eventually delisted and the principals prosecuted – a real victory for consumers. 

Ken admits that the line of work he’s in is “frustrating, but you have to keep on keeping on. Bureaucrats change, politicians change, governments change, but the problems remain the same.” 

Karina Bray, Senior Content Producer